Plant Trichomes - Embedded In Amber

3D Model

Stellate plant ‘hairs’ (trichomes) in 20-50 million year old Mexican and Baltic amber. The trichomes are the plant’s first line of defence against insect attack and are found mostly on the underside of leaves and on some stems. They are most common in Baltic amber.

3D images produced by fluorescence using confocal laser scanning microscopy. Dataset provided by Dr Neil Clark, Hunterian Museum, University of Glasgow.

***Clark NDL & Daly CJ (2010). Using confocal laser scanning microscopy to image trichome inclusions in amber. Journal of Paleontological Techniques. No 8 Aug. 1-7 ***